Short-range wireless systems provide interconnections between wireless devices, and wireless accessories. Generally, short-range wireless systems use a wireless personal area network (PAN), which uses low-cost, low-power wireless devices that have a typical range of tens of meters.
An example of a wireless PAN technology uses the Bluetooth™ communication protocol. Bluetooth™ operates in the 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band and provides a peak air-link speed of one Mbps and a power consumption low enough for use in personal, portable electronics such as a personal digital assistance or mobile phone.
A piconet is a network linking a group of wireless devices that are physically close enough to exchange information using, for example, Bluetooth™. Wireless devices join and leave the network as they enter and exit the proximity of the remaining wireless devices. Each Bluetooth™ device is capable to find other Bluetooth™ devices as they enter and leave the effective range of the short-range wireless network. The requesting Bluetooth™ device, operating in a client role, and the responding Bluetooth™ device, operating in a server role, establish a proximity link between the two devices in a process called pairing. Two devices need to be paired at least once to communicate with each other. A pairing may be established through a semi-automatic process. For example, a wireless device may send a signal identifying itself as a Bluetooth™-enabled device. A second wireless device, such as a mobile phone, detects this signal and thus determine that the first wireless device is available for pairing. The second device then prompts the user to enter a “passcode” or “PIN code” for the accessory. Once a pairing has been established, it is remembered by the devices, which can then connect to each other without user intervention.
Other examples of wireless PAN technology include Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Z-Wave and ZigBee.
Today's wireless devices, such a BlackBerry phone, for example, are also multi-function devices which can function, for example, as a camera, as an audio recorder or as a video camera to record movies. A user of a wireless device may take a picture or record an audio clip, and wish to share the file with other users.
Currently, when a user desires to share a file with another user, the sending wireless device needs to be connected, associated, and, in the non-limiting example of a Bluetooth™ device, paired with the receiving wireless device. In the example of a Bluetooth™ device, this often requires numerous manual steps to pair these two devices.
Therefore, there is a need to provide an approach to transfer a file from a sending wireless device to a receiving wireless device which minimizes the user's intervention and maximizes the user's experience.